People looking for seasonal work this year might be skipping the mall and heading to their local shipping facility.
The Postal Service plans to hire between 25,000-30,000 seasonal workers this year, while UPS and FedEx have announced plans to hire as many as 150,000 people.
The number for UPS and FedEx is about 5,000 more than last year and twice the number hired in 2013, according to new research by Challenger, Gray and Christmas, a top employment consulting firm.
Major online retailers also will be hiring workers for their warehouses, according to the forecast from Challenger, Gray and Christmas.
“Job seekers hoping to take advantage of seasonal hiring should be prepared to look beyond the traditional retail store fronts. Some of the best opportunities could be in the backroom, handling incoming and outgoing shipments,” said John Challenger, the firm’s chief executive.
Retailers already hired 449,500 employees from March-August, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
With consumers expected to shop online more this holiday season, there may be less demand for in-store seasonal staff, Challenger said.